1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to paint can tools, methods of manufacturing same, and methods of using same. More particularly, the invention relates to a combination tool including a piercing tip, prying device for paint cans, and resealing hammer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Painters have long struggled with an issue of opening and resealing a paint can. Conventional methods have included using a screwdriver to open or pry off the paint can lid. They used a pointed object to pierce the gutter to allow the paint that catches in the gutter after pouring to drizzle back down into the can. Hammers are then used to reseal the can lid, but they generally dent them and destroy the perfect seal. This requires at least three different tools to be carried around.
Previous attempts to solve these problems have included a spring loaded gutter punch that was quite complicated, and there have been no recent advancements in this field for many years. Although there have been some attempted unitary tools that have not been designed exactly for the purpose of opening and resealing the can, those unitary prior art tools did not meet with any commercial success.
The industry needs a simple, effective all-in-one tool specific to the need of painters. A pry-tip combination with a piercing tip that will allow optimum resealing is definitely needed. A piercing tip that limits the punctured depth to stop improper size of gutter holes would also be advantageous to the industry.
Conventional gutter punches are well known in the art, including one of the most common types of an awl, or a punch that includes a sharp tip. However, to the best of my knowledge, no one has addressed the issue of punching the gutter in the appropriate place to positively and assuredly punch the hole, so that a true resealing is effected. Since the seal on the paint can is around the inner upper rim, a traditional gutter punch does not effectively seal the rim after the punch hole has been made.
Practitioners of those prior art methods and inventions have become aware of certain problems which are presented by those prior art inventions. One particular problem that has plagued users has been that the previous hammer action used has dented the can lid, leading to incomplete resealing. There are complexities which give rise to imperfect sealing, resulting in drying of a skin on top of the paint.
It would be desirable to the painting industry if there was provided an improved paint can tool, and method of making it, or a method of using a better paint can opening and resealing tool.